Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that Iran’s days as a regional military power were over, announcing that Israel had ensured this outcome through twenty days of conflict that eliminated Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities. He rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy and expressed confidence the war was heading toward a definitive conclusion. Netanyahu was firm and historically aware throughout the press conference.
The prime minister addressed his partnership with Trump in expansive and admiring terms. He described their coordination as historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the alliance’s dominant force. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had contributed his own independently formed and analytically deep understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, reflecting a genuine meeting of strategic minds.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas compound alone and disclosed Trump’s personal request to pause further strikes on Iranian gas infrastructure. He handled both disclosures transparently, presenting them as natural features of a close and functioning alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s military autonomy remained fully intact and non-negotiable.
On the Hormuz question, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as global blackmail that would fail. He proposed overland pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would transform the region’s energy architecture and permanently eliminate the Hormuz chokepoint as an Iranian weapon.
Netanyahu concluded with observations about Iran’s visible leadership collapse. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared publicly and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to fierce competition for power in Tehran and concluded that this instability, combined with military losses, was pushing the war toward a faster-than-expected conclusion.